The lowest level of life is not to be in want of any kind; although pitiable, it is not to lack basic amenities, to be out of job, or to be betrayed by a wicked spouse. It is not to be lonely, dejected, broke or even depressed, even though these are excruciatingly painful feelings to bear.
But rather, the lowest level that we can ever assume in life is to respond to hate with hate, aggression with aggression, and selfishness with selfishness. It is to do unto others what you would rather is not done to you. It is to know and not say, see and not tell, have and not share, feel and not control; it is to live your life in such a way that only you seem to matter, to go about your day to day without showing any kind of love for your neighbour, and without thinking, even for just a moment, of your purpose in life.
It is to quit the responsibilities that were designed to give you the fulfillment that people ignorantly pursue in empty areas of life – to wickedly quit your marriage in the pursuit of self-gratification, regardless of the destructive emotional, spiritual, mental and financial impact on your family; to give up on parenting your children, inline with the unfortunate vicious cycle that have likely existed in your family for generations; to hold grudges against others without making concrete plans for resolution.
The lowest level of life is to make claim to life and yet find nothing to apologize for, nothing to be grateful for, or nothing to be polite about. It is to stand on societal laws that unfortunately seem to support ignorance, excuse laziness, propel selfishness, applaud hastiness, encourage revenge, and enable the systematic elimination of lives through execution, euthanasia and abortion.
Until we begin to see life as a journey where our life purpose is to enable the life purpose of other people, as a process that can only be refined by challenges, as an opportunity of impact that must be passionately seized, our sojourn will be in vain.
To live life to the fullest has nothing to do with being rulers of kingdoms, presidents of nations or topmost executives in organizations. It has nothing to do with who you are, what you do, and what you or others consider you to be; it has nothing to do with the impressiveness of your educational qualifications, material possessions and abounding accolades. It is more than just surviving the storms along the way.
Coined by Jesus Christ to summarize his mission on earth, to live life to the fullest is to dwell in the satisfaction that can only be derived from consistently helping others to thrive; it is the unabashed willingness to assume the daunting positions that were quitted by the weak, irresponsible, fearful, prideful, arrogant and wicked.
Be you a spouse, parent, child, an employer, employee, or in any form of leadership role, to live life to the fullest means to do more than is asked of you, to give much more than you have ever received. It is to be readily available to make a sacrificial difference in the lives of others without waiting to be asked; to inspire, motivate, encourage, exhort and be a blessing to others regardless of how retarded your own situation might be.
Those who live life to the fullest love despite excruciating hate, persevere despite severe challenges, appreciate despite abounding lack, maintain integrity despite overwhelming adversity, and encourage others despite aggressive opposition. We can never live life to the fullest until we are passionate about helping others live their lives to the fullest. In fact, our lives will be empty until we seek to fill up the lives of others.
Considering that God had to become man in order to exemplify how we may live life to the fullest, it is obviously the most challenging undertaking in life . . . the decision to welcome greatness, to live life to the fullest. Nevertheless, how we are is never an excuse for not being how we should be. Where we are is never an excuse for not being where we should be.
While influential, conditions are never to blame for the decisions we make, for it is only when we start taking full responsibility for our actions and inactions would we begin the process of welcoming greatness into our lives and businesses. Until then the chasm between us and greatness continues to widen.
Great people don’t work towards greatness, but rather they live for it; they don’t aim to be great, but rather aim to make others great; they don’t think of themselves as great, but yet, despite their humility, they would be considered nothing else by others.
Long life has more to do with the quality of life than the number of years lived; it has more to do with the number of lives impacted than the age before death. A man may die young and yet celebrated as Methuselah was, while another may die at 100 years old and yet had not impacted enough lives to fill the pews. If you are not living your life in such a way that you would gladly live it all over again, what are you waiting for?
Copyright © 2010 The Exhortation Life and Business Coaching Service
Welcome to Greatness! Alex Nosa Ihama (Certified Life Coach & Speaker) The Exhortation Institute of Life & Business Skills Phone: + 1 (416) 902 – 6672 Website: www.TheExhortation.com